Granny Weatherwax’s beehives were tucked away down one side of the cottage. Some were the old straw kind, most were patched-up wooden ones. They thundered with activity, even this late in the year. Tiffany turned aside to look at them, and the bees poured out in a dark stream. They swarmed toward Tiffany, formed a column, and— She laughed. They’d made a witch of bees in front of her, thousands of them all holding station in the air. She raised her right hand. With a rise in the level of buzzing, the bee-witch raised its right hand. She turned around. It turned around, the bees carefully copying down every swirl and flutter of her dress, the ones on the very edge buzzing desperately because they had farthest to fly. She carefully put down the big sack and reached out toward the figure. With another roar of wings it went shapeless for a moment, then re-formed a little way away, but with a hand out-stretched toward her. The bee that was the tip of its forefinger hovered just in front of Tiffany’s fingernail. “Shall we dance?” said Tiffany. In the clearing full of spinning seeds, she circled the swarm. It kept up pretty well, moving fingertip to buzzing tip, turning when she turned, although there were always a few bees racing to keep up. Then it raised both its arms and twirled in the opposite direction, the bees in the “skirt” spreading out again as it spun. It was learning. Tiffany laughed and did the same thing. Swarm and girl whirled across the clearing. She felt happy and wondered if she’d ever felt this happy before. The gold light, the falling seeds, the dancing bees…it was all one thing. This was the opposite of the dark desert. Here, light was everywhere and filled her up inside. She could feel herself here but see herself from above, twirling with a buzzing shadow that sparkled golden as the light struck the bees, moments like this paid for it all. — A Hat Full of Sky

Granny Weatherwax’s beehives were tucked away down one side of the cottage. Some were the old straw kind, most were patched-up wooden ones. They thundered with activity, even this late in the year.

Tiffany turned aside to look at them, and the bees poured out in a dark stream. They swarmed toward Tiffany, formed a column, and—

She laughed. They’d made a witch of bees in front of her, thousands of them all holding station in the air. She raised her right hand. With a rise in the level of buzzing, the bee-witch raised its right hand. She turned around. It turned around, the bees carefully copying down every swirl and flutter of her dress, the ones on the very edge buzzing desperately because they had farthest to fly.

She carefully put down the big sack and reached out toward the figure. With another roar of wings it went shapeless for a moment, then re-formed a little way away, but with a hand out-stretched toward her. The bee that was the tip of its forefinger hovered just in front of Tiffany’s fingernail.

“Shall we dance?” said Tiffany.

In the clearing full of spinning seeds, she circled the swarm. It kept up pretty well, moving fingertip to buzzing tip, turning when she turned, although there were always a few bees racing to keep up.

Then it raised both its arms and twirled in the opposite direction, the bees in the “skirt” spreading out again as it spun. It was learning.

Tiffany laughed and did the same thing. Swarm and girl whirled across the clearing.

She felt happy and wondered if she’d ever felt this happy before. The gold light, the falling seeds, the dancing bees…it was all one thing. This was the opposite of the dark desert. Here, light was everywhere and filled her up inside. She could feel herself here but see herself from above, twirling with a buzzing shadow that sparkled golden as the light struck the bees, moments like this paid for it all.

— A Hat Full of Sky

  1. miltonicsmile reblogged this from rubikovs
  2. thisisemilysfault reblogged this from sour-idealist
  3. cumberconundrum reblogged this from rubikovs
  4. sour-idealist reblogged this from rubikovs
  5. rubikovs reblogged this from birdslut
  6. nattysquid reblogged this from birdslut
  7. 15rael reblogged this from fragmentsshoredagainstmyruin
  8. fragmentsshoredagainstmyruin reblogged this from guiding-light
  9. birdslut reblogged this from stalinistqueens
  10. daginja reblogged this from stalinistqueens
  11. relhatetionship reblogged this from stalinistqueens
  12. stalinistqueens reblogged this from unfertig
  13. oswinodinson reblogged this from unfertig
  14. loveliness-extreme reblogged this from unfertig
  15. unfertig reblogged this from guiding-light
  16. alzire reblogged this from spookysage
  17. spookysage reblogged this from thebatmanchild
  18. illusoryvagrant reblogged this from thebatmanchild
  19. thebatmanchild reblogged this from firebirdy
  20. firebirdy reblogged this from degenezijde
  21. degenezijde reblogged this from guiding-light
  22. lord-of-morning reblogged this from guiding-light
  23. world-enough-andtime reblogged this from guiding-light and added:
    one of my favourite scenes from PTerry, and such an amazing bit of art from Paul Kidby :)
  24. twin-city-ankh-and-morpork reblogged this from hobbitofunseenhogwarts
  25. hobbitofunseenhogwarts reblogged this from tifffanyaching
  26. tifffanyaching reblogged this from guiding-light
  27. theautumnlibrary reblogged this from guiding-light
  28. tothehalcyon reblogged this from guiding-light
  29. deliverusfromsburb reblogged this from guiding-light